A fold-up pushchair is only as good as its fold: the one you can do with a baby on your hip, that fits the boot and stays shut on the bus. Folds differ in three ways: how small the package is, how many steps it takes, and whether it stands up by itself. This guide ranks the models in our catalogue on each, using the catalogue's figures (centimetres and kilograms) and the steps in our own fold guides. Nothing here is a verdict on the single best one.
Fold types, as the catalogue records them
The catalogue notes four things about each fold. Where a maker's information did not settle one, we leave it blank rather than guess, so the counts below are of models where it is recorded.
- One-piece fold. The frame folds as a single unit rather than coming apart. 39 of the 42 models in the catalogue are recorded as folding this way.
- One-hand fold. 26 models are recorded as folding with one hand, and 5 as needing two.
- Stands when folded. 32 models are recorded as standing up on their own once folded, which keeps the frame clean and easy to lift into a boot.
- Folded with the seat on. 28 models are recorded as folding with the seat attached, and 2 (the Egg 3 and Stokke Xplory X) as needing it off first.
Smallest folds in our catalogue
Ranked by folded volume, which is the three folded measurements multiplied together. Smaller means easier to store, though it is not the same as easy to carry, so the weight is shown too.
| Model | Status | Folded (cm) | Volume | Weight | Stands folded | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Babyzen YOYO3 | Current | 18 x 44 x 52 | 41 litres | 6.2kg | Not recorded | | Babyzen YOYO2 | Discontinued | 18 x 44 x 52 | 41 litres | 6.2kg | Yes | | Joolz Aer+ | Discontinued | 54 x 45 x 22 | 52 litres | 6kg | Yes | | Cybex Coya | Current | 54 x 45 x 22 | 53 litres | 7.3kg | Yes | | Bugaboo Butterfly | Discontinued | 23 x 45 x 54 | 56 litres | 7.3kg | Yes | | Silver Cross Jet 5 | Discontinued | 25 x 37 x 60 | 56 litres | 7.5kg | Yes | | Bugaboo Butterfly 2 | Current | 25 x 45 x 56 | 61 litres | 7.3kg | Yes | | Silver Cross Clic | Current | 54 x 47 x 25 | 63 litres | 6.5kg | Yes | | Egg Z | Current | 62 x 49 x 30 | 89 litres | 8.7kg | Yes | | UPPAbaby Minu V2 | Discontinued | 32 x 52 x 58 | 96 litres | 7.6kg | Yes |
These are all travel or compact models. Full-size pushchairs fold between 116 and 281 litres in our catalogue, so a bigger package is the price of a bigger seat, basket and wheels. For the travel end of this list, see our guides to travel strollers and cabin-size strollers rather than repeating them here.
Easiest folds: the fewest steps
We write the steps for each model's fold guide when we check it, so the count of fold steps is a fair, if rough, measure of how much there is to do. It does not include taking the seat or carrycot off first, which is shown separately.
| Model | Fold steps | Parts to take off first | One-hand fold | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Bugaboo Butterfly | 3 | 0 | Yes | | Bugaboo Butterfly 2 | 4 | 0 | Yes | | UPPAbaby Minu V2 | 4 | 0 | Yes | | Cybex Mios 3 | 4 | 0 | Yes | | Silver Cross Jet 5 | 4 | 1 | Yes | | Joolz Aer+ | 4 | 2 | Yes | | iCandy Lime | 4 | 3 | Yes |
The Butterfly and Butterfly 2, the Minu V2 and the Mios 3 take nothing off first. On the Lime and the larger full-size models the steps to take the seat or carrycot off come first, so the whole job is longer than the fold alone. The Butterfly 2 is the current one of the pair and the Butterfly is the discontinued original, which is the one that turns up second-hand.
Folding with the seat on
If you fold in a hurry, a seat that can stay on saves a step. The catalogue records the Bugaboo Butterfly and Butterfly 2, Silver Cross Jet 5, Joolz Aer+, Cybex Coya, Babyzen YOYO3 and YOYO2 and UPPAbaby Minu V2 as folding with the seat attached. The Egg 3 and the Stokke Xplory X are recorded as needing it off. For every other model, check its model page for the detail.
What you give up
A smaller fold usually means a smaller basket, less suspension and a shorter handlebar. The model pages list each one's watch-outs, and the compare pages put two side by side. Two common comparisons are the Butterfly 2 against the YOYO3 and the Aer+ against the YOYO3.
What to check on a second-hand folding pushchair
The fold is the part that gets used most, so it is where wear shows first. When you are looking at one second-hand:
- Fold it and unfold it three or four times. It should lock shut without force and open without sticking.
- Look at the hinges and the folding joints for cracks, play or bent tubes.
- Check the lock or latch that holds it shut, and the lock that holds it open. Both should click firmly.
- Check the brake holds, and the wheels turn freely.
- Look at the harness clips and the fabric around the seat hinges.
Everything we sell goes through our refurbishment checks, and our guide to buying a second-hand pram sets out what those checks are. Browse the current stock in our shop.
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